Life is full of Drama
There I am, 5th one from the right in the front row, squinting into the sunlight, surrounded by incredible, talented friends and colleagues, on our last day of drama school.
I attended Drama Studio London, in Ealing, from September 2014 to July 2016, and graduated with a Diploma in Professional Acting.
What an amazing, life-changing, totally unforgettable experience I had!
I have set up this website and decided to start a blog, all about me as a professional trying to find my way within the arts industry, and this is where I decided my story should begin.
Graduating drama school!
I was there for two years, lived away from home for the first (proper) time – if you don’t count my travels around New Zealand or my failed attempt at Uni – and had the absolute time of my life.
Of course, there were good days and there were bad days. Within the first term there were many times in which I thought I would never get through this and I should just give up now. Every actor doubts themselves – I heard that lots at drama school – and it’s been reassuring, in a way, to read about famous actors we all know, who have been treading the boards all their lives, have appeared on television and been interviewed, who still get nervous and doubt themselves.
In the beginning this was a hard thing to get my head around – the fact that we were all in the same boat, all new to the school and the tutors (most of whom were industry professionals themselves), all just as nervous as each other. Some people didn’t seem nervous at all, they threw themselves into it from the start and came out of their shells very quickly. Others, myself included, needed a little more coaxing, more time to find our feet – and that’s OK!
My first performance was directed by my personal tutor, so I enjoyed it, I felt relatively comfortable and was able to push myself at my own pace. I looked back on this piece at the end of my time at DSL and wished I could perform it again, with more valor and confidence. The second performance I had no such luxury. My director was incredible, I valued everything he said and carried a lot of his advice with me throughout the course. But he pushed my way out of my comfort zone, before I felt I was ready. He challenged us. Made us play a scene with one intention, then do it again ‘to a five’ (full out, almost over the top with emotion and action), and just when you felt happy with it he’d flip it, make you do it again with a completely different, even opposite intention. It really messed me up at first and shook my confidence, but once I got the hang of what he was looking for, I started to relax and then new ideas came more easily and I was happier improvising the scenes in different ways. Exploring. Experimenting. I did well, for me, and made my director, my personal tutor and (most importantly) myself proud.
By the time we got onto Shakespeare I was thoroughly enjoying myself. I approached each project with excitement and although I still began slow (I’ve always been one to listen and to scope things out before diving in), I soon relaxed into it and improvised, experimented, pushed myself and in most cases was very pleased and sometimes impressed with the outcome.
Of course, everyone is different, and you get along with some actors and directors better than others. In this industry you need to be able to work with everyone. Regardless of whether one actor is bitchy, lazy, arrogant or even just shy and unimaginative, or a director disagrees with every idea you suggest and/or literally blocks every single move and emotion for you, you have to stay professional and continue to be the wonderful human and actor you are. That way people will want to work with you again.
I came across all sorts of actors and directors during my time at DSL and I expect I shall come across many more as I progress in my career. But I was always known as an actor (within DSL) who worked very well with others, was a joy to direct and seemed to enjoy being creative and on stage. Something I aspire to take with me to every job I get.
By the end of my two years at DSL I had learned so much about myself, I had come out of my shell, my family thought I was ‘loud’ (which my personal tutor found a little ironic as I had been one of the quietest at the start) and I had a newfound confidence, not only in myself as an actor but also as a human being.
Not everyone manages to secure an agent at the end of drama school, I was one of them. Despite having written to many, invited them to my show case and final performance, I still walked away from drama school and out into the industry representing myself. This had no effect on my confidence as an actor. I have had work in the past year. Patience is the key and I’m constantly reminding myself that I am now ‘building a career’. I am at the bottom of the career ladder when it comes to acting, I have just graduated, I can take my time, don’t expect instant success and fame! They are at the top-most rung and I have just taken my first step.
One fabulous thing about having tutors who are themselves in the industry, they remember you after graduation, and if they have anything you might me suitable for, they get in touch. I have had a few friends leave DSL and work with various tutors, and I was invited to work with one of my TV directors on a project at Pinewood Studios. I have also been an Elf over Christmas – which is great fun! And I have been on tour in a musical production. These are all jobs I have got off my own back.
So if you are new to the industry or just graduating, or even if you’ve been there a few years but are in a rut, don’t despair. Spotlight and Casting Call Pro are my main sources for jobs, but if you can’t get yourself on them (as you need professional credits or drama school training) Starnow and Total Talent are also good online agencies for acting opportunities. I managed to get jobs from them before I attended drama school.
So there’s my story, in a nutshell. It actually begins waaay before my time at Drama Studio London, but I’ll save all that for another time! If you have any questions or you’d like to share your stories with me please write in the comments section below, or send me a message on my ‘contact’ page.
I look forward to sharing many more adventures with you all.
X
